VZCZCXRO0064
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHMV #0887/01 2041531
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 231531Z JUL 07
FM AMEMBASSY MONROVIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8964
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MONROVIA 000887 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/W FOR JBUELOW, PDAVIS, AOKEDIJI INR/AA FOR BGRAVES, DRL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ELAB EAGR PGOV KDEM PHUM LI
SUBJECT: LIBERIA: NEW UNION LEADERSHIP AT FIRESTONE 
 
REF: A. MONROVIA 0518 
 
     ¶B. MONROVIA 0253 
 
1.(U) SUMMARY: Members of the Firestone Agricultural Workers 
Union of Liberia (FAWUL) elected new leadership on July 7 
after months of infighting and two strikes. FAWUL is the 
largest union of workers at the Firestone Plantations 
Company. The elections were peaceful and turnout was high. 
Austin Natee of the Aggrieved Workers Union was declared the 
winner.  Foreign and local observers declared the election 
fair but the four losing candidates have protested the 
results.  The date of appointment has yet to be set by the 
Ministry of Labor.  The Labor Court invalidated the election 
on July 20 until "certain issues" could be resolved.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
--------- 
Background 
--------- 
 
2.(U) The FAWUL has been in dispute since December of 2006 
when Labor Minister Samuel Woods suspended the leadership for 
allegedly misappropriating funds.  An interim leadership was 
established by the Minister to run the organization until the 
investigation could be completed.  The suspended leadership 
took this decision to the Supreme Court and got a writ of 
prohibition against the interim leadership.  The parent Union 
of the FAWUL, the General Agricultural and Allied Worker 
Union of Liberia (GAAWUL), intervened and the case was 
removed from the court in April and negotiations began 
between the FAWUL, the GAAWUL and the Minister of Labor for 
settlement.  (FYI: The Minister of Labor, Samuel Kofi Woods, 
previously was the head of local labor NGO, the Foundation 
for International Dignity (FIND).  Additionally his sister is 
suing Firestone, in a US court, for slave labor practices in 
Liberia. END FYI)  A faction of the FAWUL called the 
Aggrieved Workers Union split to demand that the suspended 
leadership and interim leadership both be ineligible to lead 
the Firestone workers.  On April 9 there were dueling 
protests in front of the Ministry of Labor.  The Aggrieved 
Workers Union is backed by the Congress of National Trade 
Unions of Liberia (CONATUL) while the GAAWUL continues its 
support of the suspended FAWUL leadership.  Adding to the 
confusion, CONATUL receives help from the United Steel 
Workers (USW) in America which represents Firestone workers 
in the Ohio plant.  On April 24, a "go slow" action by 
Firestone workers halted operations at the plantation for a 
day and UNMIL and the LNP had to be called in to restore 
order.  An April 28 meeting in Monrovia among union factions, 
legislators from the House of Representatives and Firestone 
management decided to hold new elections on July 7. 
 
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Election 
-------- 
 
3.(U) The Ministry of Labor appointed an elections 
commission, led by Sister Mary Brown of the Catholic Church, 
to oversee the election.  32 candidates ran for 7 positions. 
There were 3,000 votes cast and Austin Natee won the 
presidency with 1,367 votes (45% of the vote).  The four 
defeated presidential candidates have filed an official 
complaint against the election, alleging that Austin Natee 
violated the elections guidelines by engaging in 
pre-campaigning activities.  They also claimed that the 
disqualification of one of the candidates by the Election 
Commission was not justifiable. 
 
4.(U) The United Steel Workers (USW) sent an elections 
observation team from the US and Nigeria to observe. The 
group, along with the general secretary of the CONATUL met 
with Pol Off and Econ Counselor at the embassy on July 10. 
They all confirmed that the election was free and fair and 
that they hoped that the Firestone management would now work 
with the newly elected leadership in addressing worker issues 
in pay and educational opportunities for family members. 
 
¶6. On July 20 the Labor Court in Monrovia nullified the 
election.  This was in response to an injunction filed by the 
GAAWUL asserting that the Minister went ahead with the 
election without consulting Liberian law.  Additionally the 
Minister of Labor, Sister Brown and the Agricultural Minister 
were fined in the decision. 
 
5.(SBU) COMMENT: The election of Austin Natee will not stop 
the infighting that has plagued the FAWUL.  Natee is seen as 
a favorite of the Minister of Labor and as such, the 
supporters of the suspended former leaders of the FAWUL are 
expected to undermine his leadership.  The GAAWUL is also 
 
MONROVIA 00000887  002 OF 002 
 
 
suspicious of the connection between Natee and the Ministry 
of Labor.  The Firestone management is wary of the new 
leadership because they worked with Minister Woods when he 
was Director of FIND to help prepare the case of alleged 
slave labor against Firestone in the US.  Another potentially 
disturbing issue is that the USW observers seemed anxious 
that the workers of the Firestone plantation receive wages 
far above the prevailing rates in Liberia.  Such wages, 
despite the current high world price for rubber, could be 
ruinous to an industry that needs to heavily reinvest after 
the destruction  wrought during 14 years of conflict if it 
wants to remain viable. END COMMENT. 
Booth